Leinster Schools FAI U17 Shield Final
Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge 2
Coláiste Pobail Setanta College, Clonee 1
Conditions were perfect at Peamount United FC at noon on Monday for the Leinster U17 Shield Final between Patrician SS and Coláiste Pobail Setanta. Having never encountered each other before, the opening exchanges were understandably cagey with neither side really gaining an advantage.
Patrician Secondary School Newbridge celebrate winning the FAI Schools U17 Shield Photo: Martin Rowe
Patrician SS began to dominate the ball through the excellence of Nathan McAuley and Sam Neville, but the Clonee defence was well marshalled. And it was Setanta who took the lead, catching the Newbridge lads on the break, after a great through ball put their attacker one and one with Patrician stopper Shaun Hall & he calmly rolled the ball to the net. This gave Setanta great confidence & along with playing their best football of the whole encounter, Rian Beagan had to be alert to make an excellent goal line clearance to ensure it was only 1-0 at half-time.
Sam Neville on the attack for Patrician Secondary School in Monday’s Shield Final in Peamount Photo: Martin Rowe
The Newbridge lads emerged in the second half as a team transformed. Some stern talking and soul-searching saw them dominate proceedings. Ethan Cheese, who had been sprung from the bench, started to become very influential on proceedings. So much so, that it was he who levelled the game after a rocket of a shot left the Clonee defence rooted to the spot.
Thomas Rooney, Patrician Secondary School gets his shot away in the Shield Final on Monday Photo: Martin Rowe
With Patrician SS piling on the pressure, more & more space was being found in the final third. As the game wore on it seemed inevitable that Newbridge would find the winner and it duly arrived courtesy of Keane Kennedy following an excellent move.
Rian Beagan takes control in the FAI Schools Shield Final in Peamount Photo: Martin Rowe
Patricians were now able to play the game on their own terms and constantly looked to break to finish the game off, with Eoin Magee particularly effective in this period.
However, Setanta had given their all & it was Patrician SS who were to emerge victorious on a deserved 2-1 score line, with Captain Nathan McAuley lifting the Shield much to the delight of the team & supporters. This was a fitting victory for a team who had been narrowly denied in the Leinster U15 Cup final last year.
PATRICIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWBIDGE: Shaun Hall (St Patrick’s Athletic); Rian Beagan (Klub Kildare), Matthew Sherlock (Peamount United), Sam Neville (Klub Kildare), Aaron Donohoe (Newbridge Town), Nathan McAuley (c) (Newbridge Town), Liam O’Callaghan (Newbridge Town), Adam Poole (Crumlin United), Joni Bocatan (Newbridge Town), Keane Kennedy (Newbridge Town), Luke Mahon (Klub Kildare), Thomas Rooney (Newbridge Town), Eoin Magee (Suncroft AFC), Ethan Cheese (Bray Wanderers), Alan Tracey (Newbridge Town), Dominic Sprinceana (Newbridge Utd)
Coaches: Ronan Tuite, Clodagh Bergin, Sam Ralph, Conor Fox
